Life With You in a World of Pain
by southernvampirepirate
Summary: Helen was always with Negan, from the very beginning of this shit storm. She'd be with him to the very end too. No matter what. She was his right hand girl.


It was Saturday; the sun was high in the sky and shone brightly on the small residential neighborhood in Fredericksburg Virginia.

I was so happy, this was the first day of spring and I was passing all of my junior classes with As. The temperature was in the 70s and I pulled my long dirty- blonde hair into a high ponytail, my legs covered by blue and black gym pants, I wore a bright, neon-pink sports bra that held up my size 36 C bust, a grey gym tank top on top of that. Tying my new running shoes on that my mom and dad had given me for my recent seventeenth birthday, I smiled at the pink and black Pumas; they really were comfortable and so, so cute.

Grabbing my IPod and cell phone, I stuck them in my front pockets and called my two dogs off the bed. The black tri Border Collie, Maid, shortly followed by the tan Chihuahua, Sandy scrambled off the bed and quickly followed me down the stairs to wait as I got their leashes at the front door. Snapping the leash onto Sandy's collar, I had to struggle to get Maid's collar turned where the ring shone clear through her wavy hair.

"Maid sit!" I commanded, getting a little frustrated as the hyperactive dog wanted to weave around my legs.

She immediately sat down and I grinned, clipping on her leash and opening the front door as I shouted to my dad who sat in his office, "Going for a run with the dogs! Be back in an hour!"

I opened the door and Sandy barked excitedly as Maid yanked us both outside, " _Maid_! Dammit! _Heel_!" I growled to her, my voice echoing a bit, and her head went down obediently and she fell beside me.

Sighing, I led both dogs down the steps and turned right to begin jogging down the sidewalk, waving to our neighbor across the street as he and a few of my classmates played ping-pong in his garage. Coach was what most of us called him, or Mr. Negan, he was the gym teacher and baseball and softball coach at my high school, evening coaching me when I was a pitcher back in my Freshman year, before I discovered Track.

The tall man grinned at me, throwing up his hand before hitting the ping-pong ball hard with his paddle, winning the game. "Looks like I score _again_ boys! Ya'll need to get your _shit together_!" I heard as my feet took me farther away, the three boys groaned back a comment and I snorted, they could never be as good as Coach when it came to hitting balls, he was just too good.

My legs took me down a street as me and the dogs got into a nice rhythm, and I looked straight ahead, as I just focused on the sound of our feet hitting the concrete. I absolutely loved running; it made my heart soar and my spirit and mind lighter; so free. We went around the block to Coaches side of the street and my light-tan skin shown a bit with sweat.

I was coming up to Coaches house when I noticed more voices coming from his garage, the boys striding out of his driveway and leaving the premise as the sharp voice of Lucille rang out into the neighborhood, "What the hell are you doing Negan? How many times do I have to tell you I do not want your students at our house! Wh—"… I slowed in my jogging, coming to a walk as I approached the house more.

"Lucille, baby doll, I'm just trying to be the cool teacher!"

I swallowed stiffly as I power walked by the garage, trying not to look at them during their argument. "Hey blondie! Your ass better keep walking, you mind your own business! I see—"… I glanced at the woman, she never did like me much, and I never could figure out why but my eyes widened as I see her clutching at her chest and gasping for breath.

"Ms. Lucille!" I exclaimed, trotting over, as Coach caught her as she fell down their back door steps, a panicked look in his dark eyes. "Baby doll, please! Lucille!"

My eyes widened as I watched her gasp for breath, Coach holding her. "Call 911," he said, turning to me, my mouth opened and closed like a fish, trying to say something… "FUCKING CALL 911 HELEN!" he suddenly shouted at me and I almost dropped Sandy and Maid's leashes as I scrambled for the cell phone in my pocket, quickly unlocking my screen and calling the number.

"Hello, this is Helen Dobbs, my neighbor just collapsed…..I don't know…..she can't breathe!...I DON'T KNOW!...1087 Rosehill rd.…..okay, thank you…yes I can," holding the phone away from me I looked at the man and woman on the garage floor, "An ambulance is on their way, Coach! What do you want me to do?"

I received no reply from the man as he looked into his wife's eyes one last time before they dimmed. I held my hand over my mouth and muffled my cry, as I just knew she had gone.

"Um, ma'am…I think she's gone….She just fucking died!" I cried into the phone as the 911 communicator asked what was going on.

***Two Days Later***

I stood with my mom and dad, and a couple dozen other people in a cemetery; I wore a black dress, simple, long-sleeved, black flats and pearl earrings.

We stood as a casket was lowered into the ground and I watched Coach…Negan stand at the front row, head bowed, and hands in his suit pockets. The man was broken, I knew it, after the ambulance came, I went home to tell dad what happened and to put Sandy and Maid up. Dad drove Negan to the hospital behind the ambulance and did not come home until later on that night. The man did not come out of his house after dad dropped him off, not until the day of Lucille's funeral.

Coach was such a lively man, at school, at the neighborhood watch parties, cookouts, he was always laughing, joking, making smart-ass, sarcastic comments. The man I saw the day Lucille went into the ground was a stark contrast, broken.

People In the neighborhood would leave food on his doorstep, cards in his mailbox, and messages of condolences on his answering machine for weeks after.

However, it would not be until about three months later that I would see or hear from him personally…when the world had gone to shit and the life that I knew, that anyone knew, crumbled apart.

0o0o0o0

Helen helped her mom cut up carrots for a stew they were going to have that evening, Sandy and Maid at her feet, her mother was strangely calm considering all that had been happening the past four weeks, with the world.

Her father had made all three of them pack a bug out bag, in case the army that had their community on lock down made everyone move. In case, the infected breached the walls.

Helen had packed hers and the dogs that morning, one large book bag with a 20lb bag of dog food, two bowls for Maid and Sandy, a small water bucket, two large bottles of water, and two cans of wet food. In her own bag, she packed essentials like her dad told her to, two pairs of jeans, two T-shirts, a sweatshirt, nightgown, three pairs of socks, three pairs of underwear, and one other sports bra. She also put in a raincoat, a medium sized pack of tampons, and a small first aid kit with two bottles of water and a box of Nutrograin bars…a knife and a flashlight were also stuffed inside by her father after he looked it over.

Benjamin Dobbs was a man of few words, he was a social worker for thirty years before retiring as a novelist, he believed in being prepared for anything. He had already had them pack their bug out bags in their grey Subaru Outback, along with a box of canned and dry goods, two cases of water, three sleeping bags, other camping items, hiking boots, a 30.30 rifle, and a box of ammo. He had also made Lisa Dobbs, Helen's mother, load up some of her cast iron frying pans, and specific pots/kitchen utensils. They loaded the vehicle early that morning, before most of the neighbors were up, discreet was what her father wanted.

Lisa had thought him to be going a bit overboard with his preparation, she and Helen had seen videos on television, before the television went out, but their neighborhood was closed off before the two women really were able to see what was going on. Benjamin, on the other hand, had seen what was going on, encountering a few of the infected on the other side of town, when he was coming back from Staples.

He had explained to his family, how dangerous it was out there, that he did not know what was going on but the _things_ out there were no longer people. Helen was frightened, although she did not show it much, this whole thing terrified her, people in her neighborhood were tense, panicky, no one trusted anyone. She could not jog down the street anymore without looking over her shoulder, her father didn't say much about her jogging at first, except to be alert at all times.

The last week though, he had basically confined her to their house. She couldn't even walk the dogs anymore, they were instead let out the fenced in back yard. Her mom, on the other hand, acted as if everything were fine; that they were packing up for a camping trip and that nothing was wrong. For Lisa, there were no infected, no Army blockade, no reason to be afraid….she just blocked all that out. It drove Helen crazy, the atmosphere in the house tense and as thin as tissue paper, ready to be ripped in half at any second.

"Helen honey, could you stir this pot please?" Lisa requested, moving about the kitchen humming to herself, Benjamin was locked away in his office again, writing to pass the time. Helen nodded with contempt, walking over and stirring the pot in silence, wearing her hair up in a high bun, tight blue jeans, a T-shirt, and her pink and black Pumas. She was ready to run if need be, keeping dog leashes on her belt loops so she could be ready to catch the dogs and load them up if necessary. She started doing that two days ago, feeling so on edge, having the leashes ready gave her some sort of odd comfort that she was prepared in some way. However, that was far from the facts of it all.

0o0o0o0

The neighborhood fell apart at approximately 7:15 that night, with the sounds of screaming, snarling, and gunshots filling the air. Her father had shook her awake from her position on the couch and she grabbed Maid's collar and snapped on the leash that hung at her waist and snatched up Sandy, leashing her as well. Benjamin pushed her to the front door and shoved a pocket knife into the hand that held Maid's leash, "Don't loose this," he muttered, disappearing for a moment then returning, leading a protesting Lisa to the door.

"No," the strawberry blonde woman said, "I'm not leaving, everything is fine."

Benjamin looked at his wife and tugged her along, "Lisa we have to leave," he opened the door and pushed his Lisa and Helen out, Maid staying close to the girl. He hit the unlock button on the car and Helen ran to it, opening the back passenger door and setting Sandy inside, Maid jumping in behind her, she had just closed the door to go to the other side when she heard her mother shout. "Benjamin, I'm not leaving! Nothing is wrong! This is crazy!"

Helen flinched when she heard a scream and shouts from the Parsons house, she looked over the borderline hedges that separated the yards….what she saw brought a scream up her throat. Kenny Parsons was being eaten by two of what had to be the infected and by his own father, whose throat was torn out and gaping open.

Her breaths coming short, Helen swept her eyes to her parents who still argued, "Guys! We need to go _now_!" she screeched, going to grab her father's arm just as two infected came out of nowhere and latched on to her mother, ripping into her flesh.

Benjamin grabbed hold to one of them and it turned on him, latching onto his arm. Helen wailed in terror and anguish, watching as her family being torn to shreds, but she did not run….she was froze in place, staring at the horror in front of her. Her parents on the ground now, being ripped apart by these _things_ and there was _nothing_ she could do. Her heart felt like it stopped in her chest, there was ringing in her ears as another one of the infected came out of the shadows and ambled their way towards her.

She could not move; she just stood next to the car as Maid barked at her from the inside, desperate to get her human to move.

The thing was about a foot away from her when suddenly it was hit in the head by a gleaming, wooden baseball bat. Just like that….the infected was down, then the one that was eating her dad that made the mistake of looking up from his body. With two hard blows to the head, it was down, and an arm was grabbing her own firmly and shoving her into the now open door of her families car, she was pushed over the console and into the passenger seat as a person flopped down into the driver's side, slamming the door behind them.

"Where are the keys kid? _WHERE ARE THE FUCKING KEYS_!?" a smooth, deep voice asked her with a loud growl and she snapped out of her shock, turning to see none other than Coach Negan in her car, baseball bat at his side and his face freshly shaved….that being a stupid thing for her to notice at a time like this.

He was searching the car for something, almost frantic, before he snapped at her, "Dobbs, _where_ are the mother fuckin' keys?" and she blinked, "Dad" she managed to get out and he groaned, looking at the now growing group of infected getting closer.

00000

"Christ" he muttered, leaning down and hotwiring the car, pleading with it to work, something must've connected because the engine started up like a dream. Locking the doors and putting the car in reverse, Negan turned to her, "Better buckle up buttercup, it's going to get a bit bumpy."

I didn't move as he hit the gas and we hit something behind us, running over it as we went, only when my head almost hit the dashboard did I buckle up, my mind all matted up in a mess, the shock of my parents death still with me.

"Dobbs, you with me sweetheart?" Coach questioned, maneuvering through the neighborhood, trying to find a way out.

I blinked, "No," I almost whispered, my breathing paused.

"Well honey, you need to breathe first," he said as we drove past more infected, which then followed the vehicle. I took a breath…Coach let out a scoff, "Holy _fuck_ they got this place locked _down!_ We'll just have to run through their pretty little fence, alright sweetheart? Brace yourself."

With that said, he drove right through a chain-link gate and weaved around barriers made of barbed wire, the few soldiers that remained, distracted by the infected. We turned down a side road where there were less blockades and about fifteen minutes later, we were almost out of city limits. We had passed more of the infected, ran over a few, passed more people being killed.

It was so much that I just looked at my feet, holding Sandy in my arms who had hopped in the front seat to be in my lap. Coach didn't say anything for a long time, just drove us out; it wasn't until we were about five miles out of city limits and on a back road that he decided to say anything.

In a soft drawl, he told me, "I'm sorry Helen, about your parents."

I swallowed and nodded curtly, biting my lip to keep from crying, when I spoke, my voice cracked, "Thank you for saving me."

He licked his lips, "No problem doll, couldn't let you just get eaten like that, not when you're one of the best softball pitchers I ever got a season with."

I glanced at him and frowned as he offered me a smile, "How can you smile right now?"

He sighed, "Sweetheart, we're up shit creek, but we have a paddle. Got to smile about that."

I bit my lip and shook a bit, running my hand over my hair and tried my best to steady myself, "What are we going to do?" I was met with a long pause of silence, Coach just looking forward, his long face tight for a moment as he thought.

He sucked his teeth before speaking, his voice smooth, "Well, I figure we have just as much chance kickin' it out on the road as we do held up in some concentration camp like they got going on in Richmond and D.C…plus I know a place we can hold up a while maybe, until this blows over."

I just nodded, flinching as a couple infected almost stepped in front of us, there were less of them out here but still a lot. Biting my lip I locked the doors and swallowed, turning to Coach with one more question, "Why did you save me? you've been held up in your house for so long….Why did you come?"

At this, Negan gave a short laugh, running his tongue over his teeth, "Sweetheart, I couldn't let you go down like your mommy and daddy did. You helped me before, I felt the need to return the favor. Plus _you_ had the loaded up car. I mean. Shit. I couldn't pass all that up."

I frowned, "So you helped me just because you wanted our car?"

He put a hand up in a calming gesture, "No, no, I helped you cause I couldn't stand at my fucking window and watch you get eaten. The car was a bonus, is what I meant."

I scoffed, rubbing my face and cuddling Sandy closer to my chest, "Thanks anyways I guess."

We were quiet for a good while before he asked what all was packed in the car, "I got some clothes, mom and dad packed some things, camping and cooking supplies, food stuff, dog food, a couple cases of water."

I saw Coach nod out of the corner of my eye, "Good deal, any gas tanks, weapons?" I shook my head at the gas tanks, "No gas, have a 30.30 and some ammo, a couple small knives."

He drummed his fingers on the stirring wheel a bit, "No gas can be a bit of a problem."

I nodded, "Coach?"

"Call me Negan doll."

I bit my lip, "Um, okay, Negan…can you tell me where we're going?"

He glanced at me, nodding, "Going to my in-law's summer lake house. It's remote, near the water, and I fucking _know_ that we are not safe in the fucking cities. Seems like a good start, don't you think Dobbs?"

I nodded, "Good as any, I hope all this is over soon."

His dark eyes cut to her as he drove, "Darlin', there's no telling how long this shit storm is going to last. However, I _promise_ you, you and I, hell…even the fucking _dogs_ in here will get through this and survive. You got me?"

I gave a small nod.

Negan let out a short growl, "I can't hear you Dobbs."

My blue eyes blinked and I took in a breath that I didn't realize I was holding, "Yes Negan. I got you."

"We're going to be alright kid; I'll make sure of it."

0o0o0o0

They rode in silence after that, dodging a car or infected one here or there. Negan kept his eyes on the road, focusing on getting to Lucille's parent's house.

Negan, in truth, was afraid…he didn't know what would happen to them, he didn't know what the fuck was going on. But come hell or high-water, he and that girl were going to survive and fucking thrive in this shit.

Licking his lip lightly, he glanced at Helen; she was still just a kid, a gorgeous one, but a kid nonetheless. He'd dammed if something would happen to her; it was with this silent oath to himself that Negan let out a breathy laugh. For the first time since Lucille's death, he felt alive.

0o0o0o0

It was around 3:30 in the morning when they reached the very dark lake house. Negan had parked the car in front of the small carport that covered the side door and stayed seated for a moment. Running a hand over his face, he scanned the area for any of the dead and saw none. Good thing about the lake house was that it was relatively remote.

Sucking his teeth he glanced over at the kid and saw that she was curled up in her seat asleep, the little dog in her arms, dried tears on her face. Sighing to himself, he locked the doors, turned off the headlights and leaned his seat back. He wouldn't move them in tonight, they would just camp out in the car; that way she could get her beauty sleep and he wouldn't have to watch his back for any dead things out there.

Glancing at the kid again, he frowned a bit, wondering just how well she'd fair through all this, especially after seeing her parents torn apart. Hell, he was a fuckin' mess when Lucille died, he still was…but losing both parents in an apocalypse was rough.

If he could get her to stay with him, keep her on her toes, he knew she was a quick and dedicated learner; caught on fast and really listened….He knew he could keep her alive, because for one thing; he was a stubborn son of a bitch….and two if he could get her out of the dark grieving stage that was sure to happen and keep her out of it. They'd be smoother waters to sail. But for now, they'd try to live here for a while, conserve gas and maybe wait this shit out….if that was possible…if not, then he'd certainly would need to develop a plan B. Coyotes howled from across the lake and Negan finally took his eyes off the girl and leaned his head back fully, letting sleep overtake him.

 **A/N: Please Review! Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead**


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